I read the article as communicating that Pennsylvania is more environmentally lax than New York. The issue of water supply for populous areas is raised, but there are parts of New York State where that shouldn't be a primary concern (e.g. Southern Tier).

As long as the margin for drilling remains paper thin, New York looks to be at a competitive disadvantage. In financial terms, that's $1 billion invested in Pennsylvania and $0 in New York for 2010. In other words:

Talisman has made the development of shale gas a key plank of its strategy. In addition to the Marcellus, it has holdings in promising northeastern British Columbia shale plays.

The company is set to open up an office in Pittsburgh later this year, with activity in Pennsylvania set to ramp up significantly.